President’s Blog: New Year’s Resolutions with a Dash of IABC’s Secret Sauce

For many, the start of the new year brings with it a determination to set out goals and resolutions for the year ahead – for our health, our relationships and our career.

I know there is some debate on the value of making resolutions, but I am in the camp that believes that resolutions are helpful, if only for the fact that it forces us to take stock of where we are and to think about where we want to go. It gives us the opportunity to think creatively about the myriad ways by which we might reach our goals.

Pick your focus and you’ll find that there’s no shortage of advice out there on how to set and keep goals. I thought LinkedIn’s contributors might offer some fresh perspective specifically on setting and keeping career goals.

Richard Branson tells us to “write it down.” His take is that putting pen to paper is the best way to set and keep goals. Richard encourages us to jot down our ideas, big and small, and then tick them off our lists as we go. And don’t stop at just one list, keep the ideas and ink flowing throughout the year.

My personal favorite among the various suggestions for using goal setting and resolutions to advance one’s career comes from LinkedIn contributor Alistair Cox. While Alistair echoes Richard Branson’s advice by suggesting that we write down all of our ideas and execute on our plans, he reminds us to leave ourselves open to unexpected opportunities that may present themselves at any moment.

And this brings me to IABC’s secret sauce. I am quite sure that if you ask our chapter’s current or former board members or volunteers, you will find that the majority can cite at least one unexpected opportunity that came along as a result of volunteering with SF IABC.

I’m here to let you in on the secret (sauce, that is). Although not spelled out in IABC’s membership marketing materials, volunteering with IABC at the chapter, regional or international level offers the opportunity to enhance existing expertise, gain new skills and/or further leadership skills, all while broadening and strengthening your network.

So, go ahead. Time’s a-wastin’. Go on and tick off one of your career development goals by volunteering with SF IABC. Volunteer opportunities sure to further your career development goals can be found here. Put this one in your Hell Yes! column.

Comments

You’re absolutely right Julie. I’ve had so many “firsts” through my involvement as a volunteer and on the board with SF IABC – the first newsletter I edited, my first social media strategy for an organization, the first event I planned, my first marketing plan for a major program, one of my first experiences managing a team, and more.

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